Railway-signal



(No Model.) f

T. M. BATES.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 469,623. Patented Feb. 23,1892.

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THERON M. BATES, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,623, dated February 23, 1892.

Application filed July I7, 1891. Serial No. 399,849. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THERON M. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

Semaphore, time, and other signals placed by the side of a railroad-track are in constant use, and in a majority of cases are used in connection with a lever adapted to be engaged by the wheels or other part of the moving train in order to operate the parts of the signal which are connected to this lever. In some signals this operating-lever is pivoted near the railroad-track, contacting with the under surface of one or both of the rails thereof, so that when the train passes over these rails and depressesthem it will depress the leverand operate the signal. With varying conditions of the track and other parts of the device the amountof this depression will vary, and consequently the signal will not always be moved or operated to the same extent by the passage of a train. As the road-bed settles the amount of depression will diminish. Again, the train will depress the track to different extents, ac-

cording to the material of which the road-bed is made. It will be evident that these variations in condition will require the lever to be pivoted at different points relatively to the track,in order to obtain the desired throw or movement of thesignal, thus causing considerable trouble, since if the lever be adjusted to a certain condition of the road-bed and this condition afterward varies so that the rails yield to a less extent under the train the lever will have to be taken up and readjusted so as to maintain the desired extent of movement. To obviate this difficulty is the object of my invention, and to that end 1 construct a lever adapted to be used with any form of signal engaging with one of the rails and provided with an adjustable pivot or fulcrum, so that as the condition of the track or any other part of the apparatus varies the lever can readily be adjusted to operate as desired.

The invention consists in the features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of my lever applied to a signal. Fig. 2 presents a side elevation and plan view of the lever. Fig. 3 presents views of the adjustable block; Fig. at, elevations at right angles to each other of the pivot-bolt, and Fig. 5 a section on line 5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

A A represent the rails, and B one of the ties of the railroad-track. Adjacent to this track is placed a signal 0, which may be of any of the well-known constructions, and which by itself forms no part of the present invention, and therefore requires no especial description. In the drawings this signal consists of adial 0, over which moves a finger 0, adapted to be set in one position by the motion of the train and then moved across the dial by a suitable train of clock-work. (Not shown.) I then provide a base D, made of metal, wood, or other suitable material. Upon this and secured thereto, if desired, rests a socket or case E, the sides of which pass up close to the sides of the lever and preventits moving sidewise, the construction of this part being obvious from an inspection of Fig. 5.

The lever F, preferably made of metal and of any suitable dimensions, is shown more particularly in Fig. 2, which presents the preferred form, in which the lever is provided with two lugs or extensions f, adapted to embrace the fiange of one of the rails, asshown in Fig. 1. It is further provided with a slot F, and with a cylinder f, or other suitable means of connection to the end of the rod which operates the signal. I next construct a block Gr, preferably of the form shown in Fig. 3, wherein it is provided with flanges g and a screw-threaded hole g. This block is passed up through the slot in the lever, the lever resting upon the flanges g. I next provide the fulcrum-bolt I-I, (shown in Fig. 4,) provided with a beveled and rounded edge h. This bolt passes through the holes g in the block and rests upon the bottom of the .open box E. A washer or nut J is provided, as

shown, to aid in holding the parts together.

When the parts are put together, as above described, the lever will be supported upon the end of the bolt II as a fulcrum, and whenit is desired to alter the position of this ful crum for any reason-as to compensate for variations in the condition of the trackall that will be necessary is to slide the block G nearer to or farther from the rail, as greater or less motion is desired to be given to the outer end of the lever. I also prefer to provide a dash-pot I to regulate the movements of the lever. When the train passes over the rail, the end of the lever in engagement therewith will be depressed, raising the outer end of the lever and operating the signal. The piston in the dash-pot will also be raised, the liquid in such pot passing beneath the same. This piston is provided with a small opening or bleed-valve, through which the fluid slowly passes to the upper side of the piston, allowing the outer end of the lever to fall, thereby maintaining the depressed condition of the lever for a period of time sutficient to prevent a succession of shocks or movements of the lever as each wheel passes over the rail. A spring I is also preferably provided to allow the outer end of the lever to rise higher than is necessary to operate the mechanism should the weight of theengine or cars depress the inner end of the lever farther than is necessary.

-While I have described more or less precise forms, I do not intend to limit myself thereto, since I contemplate changes in form, dimensions, and relative location of the parts, and the substitution of equivalents, as may be desirable or necessary. Furthermore, I contemplate using this lever, in connection with any form of signal or device with which it is adapted for use.

While I have herein shown the fulcrum as adjustable in the lever, it will be evident that it may be placed in the support beneath the lever and be adjustable therein, or that the adjustable fulcrum or bearing-point may be placed at any other point on the lever desired, the gist of my invention consisting in providing such lever with a suitably-adjustable fulcrum or bearing-point, wherever placed. It will also be evident that instead of using liquid in the dash-pot, I can use air or any other fluid for the purpose.

I claim- 1. In a railway-signal, an operating-lever engaging with one of the rails and with the signal and provided with an adjustable fulcrum, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a railway-signal, a slotted lever connected at one end to such signal and at the other to one of the rails of the track, a block sliding in the slot in such lever, and a fulcrum-bolt passing through such block, whereby the fulcrum may be adjusted at any desired point. substantially as described.

3. The combination of a railway-signal, a pivoted lever having an adjustable fulcrum and connected at oneend to such signal and at the other to one of the rails of the track, and a dash-pot connected with such lever for controlling the motion thereof, substantially as described.

4:. The combination of a railway-signal, a lever connected at one end to such signal and at the other end to one of the rails of the track and provided with an adjustable fulcrum, and a dash-pot connected with such 1ever, substantially as described.

"HERON M. BATES.

Vitnesses: GEORGE S. PAYSON, ANNIE C. COURTENAY. 

